Infinite Crisis, Infinite Characters
by sjosten
Summary: The Infinite Crisis has connected many worlds. However, only a scant few of those worlds' citizens are involved. I have in my possession the files for a handful of the other people from these universes. Who am I? Where did I get these files? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that these are the unsung warriors of the multiverse. These are their stories.
1. Gaslight Harley Quinn

Accessing archives…

Universe 19: the Gaslight Universe…

Accessing personal files: Harleen Quinzel…

Somewhere in East Gotham, a young blond woman sits alone in a little room tucked inside the publishing house for one of Gotham's newspapers: the Heroic Inquirer, the only newspaper in town that focuses solely on the actions of the local superheroes.

The woman is the newspaper's manager and sole employee: Harleen Quinzel. She is staring at a small rat in a cage, occasionally pausing to take notes on its behavior.

"So this is where you've been lately. I have to say, it's not what I expected." A voice says, causing Ms. Quinzel to jump back, dropping her pen.

"Mr. Wayne! I'm so glad you're here! I knew it was a load of bull when they arrested you." Harleen said.

"Yes, well we have your hero to thank." Bruce said, pointing to the front page of the latest issue: a long article with a picture of a shattered batarang as the header.

"Really?" Harleen asked, practically jumping from her chair, "What happened?"

"To put it briefly: you have a new story to run." Bruce said, smiling coyly.

"Come on you big tease, tell me what happened." Harleen insisted.

"Alright, alright. Batman found the Ripper while I was locked up. It turns out that old Jacob Parker was the one framing me." Bruce said.

"Your lawyer?" Harleen asked.

"That's the one." Bruce said through gritted teeth.

"I was sure it would be the Laughing Butcher." Harleen said.

"Wait, why?" Bruce asked.

"Because he never leaves any real evidence." Harleen said.

"Harleen, you think every murder in Gotham is his. Now you've moved on to London?" Bruce asked.

"Why not? He never seems to make any sense." Harleen said.

"Of course not. He's insane." Bruce said.

"That's the thing: why is he crazy? I mean, you don't just wake up one morning and become insane. I want to know what's going through that demented head of his." Harleen said, staring at her little caged rat.

"You're better off trying to figure out the Batman." Bruce said.

"You say that as if the two are similar." Harleen said.

"Aren't they? Two unknown men, operating at night, usually attacking each other, plus they're both crazy. You'd have to be to go looking for trouble like the bat." Bruce said, listing traits on his fingers.

"But the butcher uses his insanity for nothing but killing. Batman is a hero. Even if he is insane, he turned himself into a force for good." Harleen said.

"Well then, at least I know you won't be bored when I tell you about what Inspector Gordon says happened." Bruce grinned.

Harleen grabbed a notepad from her cluttered desk. "Tell me everything." She said.

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"Pamela, I can't keep doing this." Harleen said nervously as she unlocked the storm cellar in the Heroic Inquirer's publishing house.

"Relax Harleen. We'll be fine." Her companion said.

"You're a wanted criminal. If Mr. Wayne finds out you're here, he'll have us both arrested. I heard that Commissioner Tolliver said he'd burn you like a witch if he ever caught you." Harleen said.

"I bet he says that about all the green skinned women he meets." Pamela joked.

"Come on Pam, this is serious. You killed a man." Harleen said.

"That was over a year ago. And he deserved it for what he tried to do to you." Pamela said.

"I'm not saying what Amadeus did was justifiable, I'm saying that killing him was too extreme." Harleen said.

"He did this to me Harleen." Pamela said through gritted teeth, motioning to her green skin, "He turned me into a freak, and he tried to violate you. That bastard got what he deserved."

"Okay Pam. Look, I don't want to have this fight. I just… why do you stay here?" Harleen asked.

"To keep an eye on you." Pamela said.

"But I've got Mr. Wayne now. You don't need to protect me anymore. You can escape." Harleen said.

"Wayne is a pretty boy. He wouldn't know right from left if his butler wasn't there to sort things out." Pamela said.

"Stop trying to protect me if you're just going to get yourself hurt." Harleen said.

"Harleen, I'm not leaving your safety up to some rich punk and your pet rat. My life is pretty much done thanks to Arkham. I'm not letting the same thing happen to you." Pamela said, descending into the storm shelter and closing the trapdoor behind her.

End log, playing next in profile…

It was midnight. As far as Harleen knew, she was the only one awake for miles. She had stayed up all night to make sure the morning issue would be on time. Then, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Wayne, I know you like to visit unannounced, but this is a bit much." Harleen said as she opened the door. She was met with a sharp pain in her stomach.

"Sorry to disappoint dear, but Mr. Wayne is out right now." A gruff voice taunted. Harleen looked down to see a large cleaver protruding from her stomach.

"The laughing… you're the…" Harleen said as she collapsed.

"Yes, yes I am." The butcher said as he burst into a cackle. Suddenly, a burst of energy hit him from behind.

"Finally." The butcher said, turning around. Much to his surprise, his nose was broken in seconds.

"Playing hard tonight bat?" The butcher taunted. This one earned him a roundhouse to the jaw. Then came an uppercut, followed by a batarang to the forehead, which promptly emitted a sonic screech. The butcher was out cold, and possibly suffered permanent hearing loss.

"Harleen! Are you okay? Please say something." Batman said as he examined the newsgirl. Something about his voice was familiar.

"Mr… Mr. Wayne?" Harleen asked, coughing up a bit of blood.

"Listen to me Harleen, you're losing a lot of blood. I need you to stay calm. I'm going to get you to a hospital." Batman said as he lifted Harleen and ran out the door.

"I figured it out. It was right in front of me the whole time." Harleen said between coughs. She curled up in her employers arms as he tried to rush her to medical help.

Harleen Quinzel died three hours later. The doctors reported that she was remarkably calm. She even died with a smile.

End log, playing next in profile…

"You're sure this is the one?" A tall man asked.

"There are only three graves on this property, and it's the only one that doesn't say Wayne." A German accented voice replied.

"Good. Remember, take care. We wouldn't want to rouse the owner of this fine abode." The first man said.

"I still don't understand how this girl is important to the dark knight. She was just a little newsgirl who wrote about him." The German said.

"All in good time my friend. All in good time." The first man said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A woman asked from the brush. As she stood up, the two men saw little but fiery red hair and emerald eyes.

"Ah, you must be the elusive Ms. Isley. I've been looking for you." The first man said as the German began digging up Harleen's grave.

"You have five seconds to explain what's going on before your friend there dies a bloody death." The redhead threatened.

"Justice my dear. Tell me, have you ever heard of the League of Assassins?"

End all logs in profile.


	2. Arcane Kid Flash

Accessing archives…

Universe 13: the Arcane Universe…

Accessing personal files: Bart Allen…

The long roads of Louisiana's swamp land had been almost entirely abandoned since the sun disappeared. Too many dangerous critters and bits of rough terrain for the average traveler. Of course, the two people on one of the swamp's roads were much more than average travelers.

"So, what is the purpose of you capturing me again?" A young redhead asked from a cage in the back of a wagon.

"You attacked us, it's only fair. Plus, bringing you in to the League of Shadows practically guarantees I'll get in." The boy's pink haired captor said.

"Why would you want to join them?" The redhead asked.

"Because they're the most powerful sorcerers in the world." The girl said.

"You say that, but they keep getting pushed back by the knights and heroes." The boy said.

"That's because they go out alone. If they focused their power and acted together, they could do anything." The girl said.

"Yeah, like make the sun vanish." The boy said.

"Oh shut up. What do you know? You're just an apprentice to some messenger." The girl said.

"Journeyman, actually, and I'd hardly call Mr. West 'just some messenger.'" The boy said.

"So he's fast, big deal. Unless he has powers, it doesn't really matter." The girl said.

"Who said he didn't have powers?" The boy said, suddenly walking along right next to the girl's horse.

"How did you get out?" The girl asked.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." The boy smirked. A blast of pink energy narrowly missed his head.

"Ooh, feisty. I like that in a girl." The boy said. He continued evading the girl's magic before sprinting away down the road.

"Dirty little skunk." The girl said, turning back to the road ahead of her.

"I assume that was your prisoner?" A Russian voice asked from somewhere nearby.

"Madame Rouge… I assure you I can explain." The girl said.

"Don't explain. Go get him." Rouge commanded.

The girl shot the wagon off her horse and turned down the road after her escaped 'friend.'

End log. Playing next in profile…

"Sorry Flash, we really can't bring in anyone else to the team." A spiky haired young boy in a mask said.

"Oh come on Robin, your place is huge. Does this have to do with Beast Boy's girlfriend?" Kid Flash asked.

"I would prefer if you were a bit quieter about that." Robin said, nodding to a nearby table where the rest of his group was sitting.

"Point taken. So there's no chance I'm getting in?" Kid Flash asked.

"Not now. Look, I know you, and I trust you, but the others don't. Considering the… issues we've had with trust recently, it's just a bad time." Robin said.

"Alright. Looks like I'm back on the road then." Kid Flash said, getting up.

"It was good to see you again Flash." Robin said, shaking his friend's hand.

"You too. Tell Speedy I said hi." Kid Flash said before sprinting out the door.

End log. Playing next in profile…

There were only two things that Bart could feel at this point: boredom and pain. Boredom from not being able to just run wherever he wanted. Pain from the gaping knee wound he had received from that bounty hunter. Robin was probably out hunting Deathstroke down at that very moment, but Bart wanted to be there. There was a knock at the door.

"You've got a visitor." A certain pink haired girl said, walking into the room.

"Did it really take you this long to catch up to me? I thought I had been going easy on you since New York." Bart asked with a laugh.

"You're awfully cheerful for a speedster whose leg is being amputated." The girl said, picking up a note from Bart's doctor on the nearby table.

"Eh, it happens." Bart shrugged.

"You're nuts, you know that?" The girl said as she sat down at the end of the hospital bed.

"Speaking of crazy, how did you convince the doctors to let you in here?" Bart asked.

"I burst in and told them there was a fire on the other side of town that would need their immediate attention." The girl said.

"I'm rubbing off on you. When we met, you would have just killed them." Bart said.

"Probably." The girl said.

"So, you're here to take me to the League of Shadows while I'm still in one piece?" Bart asked.

"I don't know. On the one hand, I want to kill you. On the other hand…" The girl trailed off.

"You know, you could join me. Join the good fight." Bart said.

"You always say that. I almost think you could be right. But face it, I'm bad luck. Literally." The girl said.

"And Raven's a demon. They still let her into the Titans." Bart said.

"She's a demon? Wow. You chase down some punk speedster for a few years and you miss everything." The girl said, prompting Bart to laugh.

"Yeah, crazy stuff's been happening." Bart said.

"Culminating in that." The girl said, gesturing to Bart's knee.

"Yep. I guess I'll be out of the hero scene for a while." Bart said.

"Absolutely. Plus, I still haven't decided on the whole League of Shadows thing." The girl said.

"I'll put it this way: what do you think they'll do to me if they get me?" Bart asked.

"Nothing good. The question is, do I care?" The girl asked.

"Well, you have until the amputation to find out." Bart said.

"Do you think… I mean, all my powers are bad luck but… would I be able to do anything about it?" The girl asked.

"So you do care." Bart smirked.

"Maybe. Or, maybe I just want you in one piece for the League of Shadows." The girl said.

"Either way. And as for your question, I don't know. It would be pretty bad luck for those doctors if the guy who they were going to operate on was already healthy." Bart said.

"Or if he was dead. Ugh. I hate these powers. I never know what they're actually going to do." The girl said.

"You know, I happen to know quite a few very powerful magic users. If you want, I could introduce you to them. Maybe they could help you out." Bart suggested.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure your friends would just love to help a criminal." The girl said.

"Hey, who are they gonna believe: me, or the police records?" Bart joked.

"I don't know. Who?" The girl asked.

"Let's find out." Bart said, sitting up.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked.

"Testing the crutches theory." Bart said as he picked up a pair of crutches from next to the bed and stood up.

"You need medical attention for that thing." The girl insisted.

"Oh please, I'm sure there are plenty of people who can cut it off for me without a medical license." Bart said as he walked out the door.

End all logs in profile.


	3. Nightmare Two Face

Accessing archives…

Universe 43: the Nightmare Universe…

Accessing personal files: Harvey Dent…

Gotham's district attorney had been having a bad day. Then again, everyone in the planet had been having a bad day. The reemergence of dark forces that blanket the Earth tended to put a damper on morale. For the people of Gotham though, it was much worse. There were only three fortifiable locations in the whole city that hadn't been compromised: Arkahm Asylum, the Iceberg Lounge, and the recently opened to the public Batcave. Harvey had the eternal misfortune of being in the foremost of those.

"So, lover boy, how long do you think it will take the bat this time? A few hours? The whole night? I have things to do." Poison Ivy asked

"Have a little faith dear. We all know Batsy will come through in the end." The Joker said.

"Would you two be quiet? Those of us who aren't homicidal freaks are trying to do something here." Harvey said.

"What did you ever see in him?" Scarecrow asked.

"A corpse." Ivy said, prompting the Joker to burst into laughter.

"How do you stay sane in here?" Harvey asked the psychiatrist nearby.

"They're much nicer when you get to know them." She said.

"Thanks Quinzel." Ivy said. Before Harvey could say anything, something black burst through the window.

"If you shoot me Cash, I'll break your fingers." It threatened, causing the security officer to holster his weapon.

"Batsy! Did you miss me?" Joker asked as the caped crusader stood up.

"Please tell me you're here to throw Sewer King to the monsters." Scarecrow said.

"Shut up. Dent, how's everyone holding up?" Batman asked.

"Would be better if we didn't have psychos all over the place. I don't suppose you have a Bat-bus that can get these people out of here?" Dent asked.

"No. More importantly, I wouldn't want to leave the inmates to the monsters either." Batman said.

"Alright, maybe I misunderstood, you want us to protect the killers that we had to put in cages?" Dent asked.

"They're bad enough alive. Do you really want to see what a vampire Joker can do?" Batman asked.

"Fine, I won't let them die. But that's all you get from me." Dent said.

"That's all I ask." Batman said.

End log. Playing next in profile…

The bat had been turned. It was all over the news. Hell, it was the news. Dracula had fallen just to be replaced by the one who brought him down. Gotham had hit a new level of desperation. Which meant they needed to stoop to new levels.

"You're sure this is the only way?" Dent asked, walking the halls of Arkham.

"Yes." Huntress replied.

"We can't just have Zatanna summon something?" Nigma asked.

"No." Huntress said.

"Is she always like this?" Scarecrow asked from his cell.

"Yes." Dent and Nigma said.

"Ah, the old warden. Haven't seen you in a while. Finally time for us to kick the bucket? I should warn you, I've died before. It didn't work." Joker said.

"Shut up clown, you're getting out." Dent said. For a few seconds, Arkham was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"So, you need bait?" Ivy said.

"I'll take it from here my friend with personal vendettas." Nigma said, stepping in front of the D.A. "I'm sure you've heard of the Batman's recent run-in with Dracula. Even in here, you probably get some form of radio. If not, we have lost our greatest hero. As such, Huntress, Cobblepot, myself, and a handful of others elected to recruit you, the only individuals that ever stood a chance against Batman before, into our little band. We believe your expertise in our new… opponent, will give us an advantage. Plus, it will allow us to consolidate to the Iceberg Lounge exclusively as our base of operations. Now that the Batcave has been compromised so to say, we no longer feel it is safe to keep civilians there. So what do you say? Are you willing to fight the good fight, save Gotham, and win a get out of Arkham free card?"

After a few moments, Joker spoke up, "I don't hear any objections."

"Then let's get out of here. I don't want to stay in this place any longer than I have to." Man-Bat said.

"Hang on Langstrom, you're under my surveillance." Huntress said, walking over to the cage he had been put in.

"Special treatment already?" Langstrom asked.

"Hardly. We don't trust you to fight with us against the vampires." Huntress said.

"Um, guys? Some creeps seem to be heading our way." One of the cops that came with the 'rescue team' said.

"Lovely. Alright, here's your first test. Looks like we're shooting our way out." Dent said, pumping his shotgun.

End log. Playing next in profile…

Zombies. Why did it have to be zombies? Of all the monsters, the plague on legs had to be the worst. The only way to put them down for any real length of time was a nice shot between the eyes, and most rookies weren't that accurate. More men were lost to the hordes than even Joker could have laid claim to back in his criminal days.

So, when Harvey was caught right in the middle of a whole building full of zombies with only Dr. Crane and officer Montoya, he was less than happy.

"Crane! We gave you an axe because you can't shoot. Don't tell me you're too slow to hit a zombie before they get to you too." Montoya joked as she capped off a handful of the zombies around her. Her comrades were somewhat less successful.

"There are dozens of them! I need to have a discussion with Mr. Fox and Miss Quinzel when we get back. Their little 'weapons upgrades' aren't exactly helping." Crane said.

"Would you two quiet down? I have a plan." Dent said, "Make for the elevator. At close range, even you two can take out anything in there. I'll distract them out here for a bit, then go out the window."

"There's a fire escape right?" Montoya asked.

"That's what I'm hoping for." Dent said. Less than a minute later, the elevator was at their floor.

"See you at the bottom." Montoya said as the doors shut.

Dent loaded his shotgun for what he hoped would not be his last time. All he had to do was cut a path to the window. He charged. The shotgun took out almost anything in front of him. It didn't need to kill at this point, just clear. So when Dent crashed out the window and onto a flagpole, he had managed to not get injured. However, considering he was hanging just a few feet above the second floor of the building, that probably wouldn't last.

Just then, the door opened below. Shots went off, knocking a few zombies away from the door as Crane came out lugging his axe and taking swings.

"Hey you two! Think you can catch me if I drop?" Dent shouted. Crane looked up and tossed his axe to the side, holding out his arms. At that point, Dent was alerted to a piercing pain in his left knuckles. One of the monsters had crawled out and gnawed on his hand. Dent made sure to blast its head off before dropping.

The descent put him more on top of Crane than actually in his would be savior's arms. Still, there weren't too many broken bones. Montoya had already managed to hotwire a car, so the three were able to evade the monsters after that and got back to base.

End log. Playing next in profile…

"Can you heal him?" Nigma asked. A handful of the more successful survivors were all crowded around a table that Dent had been laid out on. Zatanna was attempting to tend to his wounds.

"Heal? No. The virus already hit his entire left side. I've tried to buffer it from getting any further, but that effectively means his heart has stopped temporarily." The mage explained.

"So he's gonna turn?" Quinzel asked from behind Joker.

"I call dibs on shooting him if he does." The psycho clown said.

"Shut up. He won't turn unless the virus spreads further in his blood stream. Does anyone here have any medical experience?" Zatanna asked. Quinzel and Crane raised their hands.

"Non-psychiatric medical experience." Zatanna clarified. Quinzel's hand went down.

"Crane, I need you to stop blood from getting out." Zatanna said.

"What are you going to do?" The good doctor asked.

"Give him a new heart. An enchanted one. It'll stop the blood from circulating in his left side while still providing energy to that side so he can control it." Zatanna said, "Now, get ready. Three. Two. One."

With a light poof, a pumping heart appeared above the operating table. Crane caught it and put it onto a mostly sterile tray.

"Joker, you can burn that later. We don't want any contagion spreading." Nigma said.

"There." Zatanna said, standing back from Dent's body.

"He looks… fine." Crane remarked, glancing at the heart monitor. Miraculously, it showed a faint beat.

"That'll change. Remember, half of him is zombie now. In a couple of days, it'll show. He'll still be himself, but I don't want him out in the field for a few weeks." Zatanna said, shooting Huntress a dirty look.

"What? Fine, I'll keep him here. At least until we know what's going on." Huntress said.

"So where is the split, exactly?" Crane asked, leaning over Dent's body. Zatanna traced a line, practically right down Dent's center, from his head to his feet.

"That will make for an… interesting look." Nigma said.

"Ah, he won't mind. What's life without a little flair?" Joker said, "Now, if you don't mind, I have some zombie heart to incinerate."

End all logs in profile.


End file.
